ST. LOUIS — The day after the city cleared a tent camp outside City Hall, the Rev. Larry Rice and others with his New Life Evangelistic Center organization gathered nearby to chide Mayor Tishaura O. Jones for not doing enough to help homeless people.
During the clearing on Tuesday, a majority of 37 campers accepted the city’s offer of shelter or transitional housing, said mayoral spokesman Nick Dunne. People had been living near City Hall for weeks, and city officials said police and EMS had been called to the camp dozens of times.
A small group of homeless people, including Sherresse Jackson, who was camped in her tent, remain Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, outside the former Municipal Courts Building, adjacent to St. Louis City Hall in downtown St. Louis. Jackson was a resident in the encampment in front of City Hall, but moved her tent over a little way when the camp was cleared the day before. A fence now surrounds the area where the original camp was. Activists says Mayor Tishaura O. Jones is not doing enough to help homeless people, see story on Page A8.
Rice contended that while some homeless people were placed in shelters, most stayed on the streets by going to other locations. The city should set aside acreage outside for homeless people who don’t want to stay at shelters, he said.
“Those that prefer that lifestyle, they can do that, we can take them step by step to break the cycle of homelessness,” Rice said.
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In response, Dunne said the mayor’s administration has invested nearly $20 million in federal pandemic aid money to support the unhoused.
“That covers a broad spectrum” of services, Dunne said, from emergency shelters to transitional housing to a new “safe haven” for people with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Moreover, Dunne said, there are nearly 900 units of affordable housing currently under construction.
Tiny homes used to provide shelter for homeless people can seen on lot at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Some of the people camping in tents in front of St. Louis City Hall given space at the tiny homes. The Magdala Foundation uses the Tiny Home location, called Jefferson Spaces, to help residents transition into permanent supportive housing. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
The mayor also has tried unsuccessfully to get the Board of Aldermen to agree to set up so-called “intentional encampments” for homeless people who won’t go to traditional shelters.
Rice, who decades ago organized a similar tent city outside City Hall called “Schoemehlville” to attack then-Mayor Vincent Schoemehl, said “we didn’t go out and plan” the recent camp.
He said after people started gathering on their own, New Life offered tents, food and water and other assistance. “Ray referred just one family here,” Rice said, referring to the Rev. Ray Redlich.
“We need a variety of shelters” of different types, Redlich said. “The city needs to do more. It needs to provide more funding, more staff.”
Rice alleged Wednesday that Jones’ administration decision to clear the homeless camp outside City Hall was because of the scheduled Friday visit of Vice President Kamala Harris to the Democratic National Committee meeting at a downtown hotel.
“There’s no connection between this and the DNC,” Dunne said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the amount of federal pandemic aid allocated to support the unhoused.
Lisa Innes, center, puts her hand on former St. Louis City Hall encampment resident Shontez Campbell, right, while the Rev. Larry Rice, left, holds a microphone during a press conference Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, outside St. Louis City Hall in downtown St. Louis. Campbell, who is still sleeping on the streets, joined others in asking city officials to expand their help for the homeless. “I just came home from prison,” Campbell said. “The homeless shelter is just like prison to me.”
Although the homeless encampment outside City Hall started around July, it wasn't until September that the amount of tents quickly grew. After the mayor's office announced the camp would be cleared on October 2, there was uncertainty of how much longer the encampment would be allowed to stay. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
